


Anything Could Happen

by gaypanic



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Bisexual Regina Mills Week, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-14
Updated: 2018-01-14
Packaged: 2019-03-04 21:43:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,314
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13373631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gaypanic/pseuds/gaypanic
Summary: Swan Queen, a High School AU following the prompt “Regina realizes she’s bi” for Day One of Bisexual Regina Mills Week, in which Regina tries to figure out why Emma is catching her eye as she looks for a date to the winter formal ;)





	Anything Could Happen

**Author's Note:**

> I’m calling Cruella, Elle, and I’m calling Ursula, Nessa. Just an FYI. Also none of the guys in this story are bad, they’re super sweet :) 
> 
> thanks to Laura and Danny for helping me out with this one, and thank you to the mods of Bisexual Regina Mills Week!

“Come on, Regina. You and Daniel broke up months ago. I know you’re not super beat up over losing that one, but--”

“Mal, really? I’m sitting  _ right here _ ,” Daniel interrupted her from across the lunch table. Mal rolled her eyes, and the action produced a few giggles from the rest of the group, Regina included.

“I get what you’re saying, but no one caught my attention yet. I don’t want to force anything,” Regina replied. Of course, it wasn’t true. There was one person that always made her stomach flip and her heart beat just a little faster, but she didn’t understand it. It wasn’t just any person either. It was a  _ girl.  _ Emma Swan. “I’m sure something will come up eventually.”

“Regina,” Mal pouted, “You can’t just  _ sit around _ . There’s a dance coming up, you know.” She crossed her arms and levelled Regina with a look but the brunette was unfazed. 

“When  _ all of you _ have dates, come back and talk to me then. I still have time.”

“You have a  _ week _ !”

“Well,  _ I _ have a date,” Elle smirked. Regina was beyond grateful for the subject change.

Mal scowled, “I can’t believe you’re dating  _ him _ . He’s literally the twin of the boyfriend of your arch nemesis.”

“Yes but  _ my  _ twin is the bad one. Mary Margaret’s twin is just a square,” she said, waving her hand in dismissal. “Anyway, I don’t think my date is any more interesting than  _ his _ .”

All eyes went to Daniel, Mal’s eyebrows raising to her hairline. 

“You already have a date?” Nessa asked.

Daniel blushed and ducked his head but tried to shrug it off. “Her name’s Anna. We have theater together.” He chuckled, rubbing his hand on the back of his neck, “Actually, Regina introduced us.” The brunette in question nodded proudly.

Mal made a disgusted noise at the back of her throat. “I don’t even want to imagine. You’re both so… nice. I can’t imagine a mushier couple.”

“I think it’s sweet,” Regina pitched in.

Mal tutted, “Yeah, of course you do. Personally, I don’t think you can comment until you’ve found yourself someone.”

“Yeah, right. As soon as I do then  _ I’ll _ be the one under scrutiny.”

“We’ll see,” Mal said with a wink. 

Regina just rolled her eyes. “I’m leaving now.”

She dumped the contents of her tray before setting it on the trash can and turning to leave the lunch room. She glanced around at all her classmates finishing up lunch. There were a lot of nice guys in her class, good looking, smart, funny… and she was relatively popular. Mal was always telling her that anyone would be lucky to date her and judging by the handful of boys that smiled at her as she passed, she had no doubt that it was true.

She was in the middle of returning a smile to Robin Locksley (he was always nice to her so he would be an okay choice, she thought), when she collided, full force with another person, who stumbled backwards and fell down.

The cafeteria remained abuzz, the action fortunately going unnoticed by most, but Regina was frantic anyways. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry,” she said, looking down at the poor victim, her heart stopping in her chest when her eyes met a pair of wide green ones, looking up at her in surprise. It was Emma.

“No, no, it was my fault. I tripped over my own feet. You didn’t knock me over,” the blonde reassured, scrambling to her feet.

“It’s considerate of you to take the blame, but you don’t have to--”

“No, I’m serious. I really just did that.” Emma turned away, cheeks flushed in embarrassment. “Anyway, sorry,” she made like she was going to walk away, but stayed in place, and Regina nodded, but didn’t walk away either. She didn’t  _ want _ to, but she didn’t know why.

“I appreciate your apology, but I wasn’t paying attention, so I think this is more my fault than yours.”

Emma shrugged, “I mean, maybe. But still.”

“But still?”

“Oh… I guess…”

“Hey, Regina!” Robin announced over Emma’s mumble. It took the brunette a moment to pull her eyes from Emma, now nervously shifting on her feet. 

Robin was smiling sweetly at her, and she was so caught off guard that she just blinked at him. “What?” she asked absentmindedly. “I mean, hi, Robin. How are you?”

“I’m fine. About to walk to class, and I was wondering if you wanted to walk with me? Since we’re going in the same direction?”

“Um…” Regina was having a hard time catching up. She shook her head as though to clear it. “Maybe. Robin, do you know--?” she turned back to where Emma had been standing only to discover she was nowhere to be found. “Oh.” 

She ended up walking with Robin to class, in an attempt to shake the disheartened feeling in her chest, or at the very least distract her from it. 

As the boy talked, she smiled, happy to have his company. He was sweet, he made her laugh, and he was cute, but her thoughts kept returning to Emma. When they parted ways and she got settled in her desk, she was so overwhelmed by the tugging of her brain against itself that she laid her head on her desk.

She stayed that way until Mal dropped down in the desk next to her. “Regina! Regina, oh my god.”

“What is it?” Regina asked, lifting her head.  _ If this was about-- _

“I saw you talking to Robin,” she said with a giddy squeal.  _ I knew it _ .

“Yeah, so?” Regina really wasn’t in the mood, but there was no escaping this.

“ _ So _ , what was that about? You saw the way he was looking at you, right? Did you get his number? Oh my god,  _ please  _ say yes.”

“Why?”

“ _ Why? _ Regina, we talked about this already. It’s about time you got yourself a date. And you like him, right?”

“Yeah… but…” Regina tried to find the words to explain, but they didn’t seem to exist. Of all the guys at their school, she had no doubt that Robin would be her first choice, but somehow… he wasn’t? 

“Come on, Regina, what’s stopping you?”

_ Emma _ .

The thought struck her hard, and she just shook her head, at herself, at Mal, at the  _ world _ because none of it made sense. The way her stomach still flipped when she thought of the blonde, as it had been for months now… shouldn’t she feel that way about  _ Robin _ ? Wasn’t that how it worked?

“I like him, but… Shouldn’t I… I don’t know…  _ feel _ something?”

“Are you saying he doesn’t turn you on?” Regina blushed hard, she hadn’t even considered  _ that _ , and she pushed the thought deep down. She could think more on that later, but not _ now _ . “Or do you mean, like, fuzzy feelings.”

“Yes! That. The second one.”

Mal considered it for a moment. “I mean, you don’t _have_ to feel them, but I suppose that would be ideal. You felt those with Daniel, right?” Regina nodded. “Does anyone make you feel like that now?”

Regina nodded before she could stop herself, knowing full well who made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside. It wasn’t very telling for Mal, but for Regina it spoke volumes. “But not Robin?” Mal asked.

To Regina’s relief, the class started before she could answer, but Regina was so lost in her own thoughts that she missed the whole lecture.

She didn’t know what any of this meant, but she was determined to find out.

The first thing she did when she got home was open her laptop, going straight to Google. She was on a mission.

The only problem was that she wasn’t sure what she was looking for, or how she was supposed to find it.

It took her about twenty minutes to type “i think i like a girl?” into Google, adding the question mark just because she wasn’t sure if that’s even what it was. Maybe it was just nerves. She would be like that if she ran into anyone, right?

But then she remembered that this hadn’t just happened today. She’d tried to think of any circumstances around these feelings that could be rationalized in any other way, considering that maybe none of it had to do with Emma at all, but after she got stumped at every corner, she finally managed to make the search.

Something about the combination of words made her feel a little relieved. Still on edge, but it felt like half of an answer, like her gut is trying to confirm that  _ yes _ ,  _ this is what these feelings are, you do like a girl _ , but the results bring her even more unease.

_ Am I gay? _ one page reads.  _ How I realized I was a lesbian _ , reads another.  _ Your straight girl crush probably isn’t so straight, _ another one says. 

It was too much for her really. She slammed her laptop closed and climbed into bed, more lost than ever. She thought about the feelings she once had for Daniel and tried to differentiate them from what she feels for Emma.

She couldn’t find any difference. 

She had butterflies with Daniel, and she has them now with Emma. When she and Daniel had first met, she would sometimes lose her breath, and that happens every time she sees Emma. When she thought about the blonde, she felt this warmth rising in her chest that made her want to laugh and squeal. 

When she was around Emma, she didn’t want to leave, even though she never had anything to say. The two of them weren’t friends, and she was honestly not even sure if Emma knew her name. But everytime they made eye contact, Regina felt simultaneously frozen in place and drawn closer to the other girl.

The feelings were definitely out of control. 

She thought back to hers and Mal’s conversation from earlier. She didn’t feel the same about Robin that she did about Daniel, and she certainly didn’t feel the same about Robin that she felt about Emma. 

_ Are you saying he doesn’t turn you on? _ echoed in her mind, and she buried her face in her pillow, embarrassed despite being alone. She was almost  _ afraid _ to let her mind go there. But she thought back to the Google search. Being turned on was a key factor of  _ that _ , right?

So she tried to relax and just think about it. 

She and Daniel hadn’t been intimate, wanting to wait, for what they weren’t sure, but it seemed like the smart thing to do. It was undeniable though, looking back, that Regina had  _ wanted _ him. Of course, those feelings were long gone as she now saw him as one of her best friends, but they  _ had _ been there. 

Her body had felt aflame when they had kissed. Her skin burned where his fingers traced it, and there were times when she couldn’t keep her hands off of him. Even though she didn’t feel the same now, she couldn’t deny the memory. She couldn’t be a lesbian if she felt like that about him.

It occurred to her that  _ maybe _ she didn’t feel like this about Robin because they’d never kissed, much less held hands. Would she feel those things  _ then _ ?

_ But what about Emma? _

Emma swept her thoughts right out from under her, really, and she forgot what she was trying to figure out as she thought about the blonde. Her hair was so  _ bright, _ and it looked so soft. Her eyes were a brilliant shade of green, and when she smiled they crinkled adorably. She was incredibly goofy, and it made Regina smile anytime Emma did  _ anything _ . They’d had gym together last year, which had given Regina plenty of opportunities to notice how toned Emma was, and how smooth her skin looked…

It was then that Regina snapped out of it, suddenly aware of the familiar building heat in her body and how restless it suddenly made her feel. She groaned into her hands as she rolled over. So Emma Swan definitely turned her on. But she wasn’t a lesbian?

Regina was so frustrated, by her situation as well as  _ other things _ that she gave up and took a cold shower. Maybe it was just a one time thing.

But it wasn’t.

The next day, she saw Emma across the hall, and that same heat picked up right where it had left off, tormenting her throughout the day.

Mal tried talking to her during lunch: “So, we never finished our conversation from yesterday…” Regina took a deep breath, trying to prepare herself, or at least keep her head on straight. “If Robin doesn’t make you feel…  _ things _ , then who does?”

It was then that Regina looked up and locked eyes with Emma across the cafeteria. It didn’t last long, but those piercing green eyes were enough to make Regina lose almost all control. She swallowed hard before shaking her head at Mal. “Nobody.” 

“Liar. You’re blushing.”

Regina’s eyes shifted from Mal, back to Emma, who looked down in the same moment, a soft smile on her face. Regina’s heart raced. _ Had she been looking at me? _ Mal picked up on the eye movement and spun around to figure out who she’d been looking at.

She snorted, causing Regina’s eyes to widen. She didn’t want  _ anyone _ finding out before she even understood what was happening herself. “Neal? Really, Regina? You could do better. Besides, isn’t he dating that other one? August, I think his name is…”

“He’s gay?” Regina said, flinching at the squawky sound of her voice, but she was so surprised, having assumed up until now that all of her classmates were straight. She’d never seen any gay couples, or heard anyone talking about it…

Nessa shook her head, “Nah, he’s bi. He did his last speech in class on LGTBQ rights. The personal aspect was a nice touch.”

“He’s what?”

“Bi. You know, bisexual.” Regina just blinked dumbly at her. “Come on, Regina, have you been living under a rock? He likes women  _ and _ men.”

_ Bisexual _ . Is that what she was? Regina’s eyes flickered back up to Emma, lingering for only a moment before she stood really abruptly. “Excuse me.”

She was out of the cafeteria and locking herself into a bathroom stall within minutes. She wasn’t supposed to be on her phone, but she pulled it out anyway, typing “bisexual” into the search bar. She spent the next fifteen minutes reading about it, and everything started falling into place. 

Everything she read explained why she had felt how she did about Daniel, and why she was also attracted to Emma.  _ I’m bisexual _ , she thought, smiling to herself. 

The realization, the fact that such a word existed to describe her feelings, the fact that her feelings were valid and she could now say she did in fact have a crush on Emma, made her giddy with confidence, and she was so excited, so invested into researching her new favorite word that she missed the bell.

She gave her teacher a quiet apology as she snuck in, taking her seat next to Mal, who glared in her direction for a whole ten minutes before Regina snapped her head over to look at her. “What?” she whispered under her breath.

“What are you smiling about?” Mal whispered back.

Regina actively tried to stop, but she couldn’t wipe the grin from her face. “Nothing.”

“Yeah right,” Mal scoffed just as the teacher shushed them. “This isn’t over, Regina.”

But it kind of was. Regina managed to duck out of class ahead of Mal, anxious to avoid any interrogations she knew her friend would have for her.

It was time for her last class of the day, and incidentally, it was the one she shared with Emma. They sat across the room from each other, but she could see the blonde from her seat, one row back and a few rows over. She spared a glance in her direction every chance she got, her heart thrumming in her chest.

Now that she understood, she couldn’t shake the thought that she wanted to ask Emma to the dance. She did like her after all, and if she had to go with anyone, she’d want it to be Emma.

Her confidence just kept piling onto itself, thinking about their eye contact, the way she sometimes caught Emma smiling at her when she thought Regina wasn’t looking, and how she just wanted to run her fingers through blonde hair and hold Emma’s hand in hers… press her mouth against Emma’s soft, pink lips…

The bell signalling the end of class, startled Regina so much that she jumped in her seat, and by the time she’d recovered, Emma had already left the room. Regina frantically gathered her things and set out to find her, determined to not let her courage go to waste.

She moved through the halls with purpose, looking for Emma, when she made her second collision in just two days, and she almost groaned until she realized who was standing in front of her.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry! Again!” Emma said, her hands moving as if there was some way to fix anything about the moment, but no one had fallen this time, and nothing had been spilled or dropped, so her hands dropped uselessly to her sides. “It was definitely my fault this time.”

Regina was so happy to have found her, that she didn’t really care whose fault it was, but she shook her head anyway. “No, the fault is mine. I wasn’t looking. I mean, I  _ was _ looking, just not in the right places.” Her brows furrowed. “What I mean to say is that I was looking over there,” she explained nodding her head across the hall. “Not  _ here _ ,” she nodded in Emma’s direction. “Well, technically…” she trailed off. “Nevermind.”

“Okay,” Emma said slowly, nodding again, but not going anywhere, just like the last time.

Regina’s heart pounded in her chest, and she was so nervous that she wasn’t even sure what had just left her mouth. She’d clearly lost all control, her infatuation with Emma taking over. “Do you want to be my date to the dance?” she suddenly blurted out.

Emma’s eyes widened and her jaw went slack, and other than what might have been surprise, her face was unreadable. Regina was struck with a dreadful realization. “Oh my god,” Regina says, a hand going to her head as she takes a step back. “You’re straight, aren’t you? I’m so stupid,” she added in a mumble under her breath, backing further away. “I’m sorry…”

She turned to make a run for it, humiliated beyond all belief, when she suddenly felt a soft hand in hers, tugging her gently back. Emma’s eyes were still wide, but they were doing that crinkling thing Regina loved, and she her heart flipped a little at the sight.

“Yes,” Emma breathed. “To your first question.” She took a step closer to Regina. “No… to your second question.”

“I thought…”

Emma laughed, music to Regina’s ears. “I’ve had the biggest crush on you for months now. I didn’t even think you knew my name. I thought  _ you _ were straight…”

“I’m bisexual,” Regina told her with pride. Emma smiled, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. Regina thought she might like to do that one day. “And I have the biggest crush on you too,” she admitted, causing both their smiles to widen.

“I’d love to be your date to the dance,” Emma said again. Regina took Emma’s hands in hers, stroking her thumbs over the tops. The skin was as soft as she’d imagined it would be. Her eyes flickered to Emma’s lips. She couldn’t wait to find out what those felt like on hers.

“Me too.”


End file.
